Catalogs

Framus was obviously also present in the land of country and western music with its own banjo instruments brochure. Ten different banjos were available in the late sixties, all elaborate, handcrafted, perfectly designed noble products.

To round off the product offering for the whole band, Framus also provided six different drum sets: from small beginner sets to professional “luxury sets for all demands”. Prominent Giannini by Framus endorsers were among others Kenny Clarke, Zutty Singleton, Gene Krupa, Teddy Paris and Lionel Hampton.

The British beat wave let young musicians look more informal and easy-going - and they demanded new instruments: 12-string electric guitars, Bill Wyman’s Stone Bass, the Strat®o and Tele®vision design were all contemporary. Framus Wander and Western guitars and banjos were naturally still available.  

Catalog Nr. 15 / Part 1 dates back to the early sixties and presented the extensive selection of Framus classical instruments: violins, cellos, violas, double basses as well as the obligatory accessories like strings, bows, resin, tuning whistles, and cases. Spare and replacement parts for the aforementioned instruments were also included, as well as elements for instrument manufacturing like untreated and half-treated products, lacquers and tools.

A discreet, impressively designed brochure: Framus presented first-class master instruments for its classical music clients, like the “original Franz Josef Klier violins”. Even company boss Fred Wilfer is seen on a picture thoroughly examining a violin.

This small simple catalog was meant for the American distributor Philadelphia Music Co. Inc., and its content displayed the Framus portfolio for classical stringed instruments and the corresponding accessories.

Framus made instrument manufacturing history with its Nashville series: The headstock’s shape secured the value of brand recognition; clarity and simple elegance in the design made classics out of the Nashville acoustics as well as the three electric guitars and the two basses. The new six-way pickup selector allowed for even more sounds than what the competition had to offer.

"Sonorous in the lows and brilliant in the highs with a strong and pure natural tone. Essential for radio and vinyl recordings” - read the brochure with the cowboy that included beautiful acoustic guitars like the Gaucho, the King, and also the legendary Hootenanny, which was shipped predominantly with a shaded brown finish.

With the top model AZ-10 on the cover, in front of a Lufthansa jet, was the way Framus would emphasize their position in the guitar market. This 16-page catalog presented a number of beautiful archtops with newly designed pickups and elaborate electronics, thinline models with additional softline design, “wander”, classical and Western guitars. The legendary Star Bass 5/150 was explicitly indicated as Stone Bass and is one of six variants, including the rare 5/154 De Luxe 4 model with noticeable pointy cutaways.

Semi-acoustic electric guitars, two Lorento solid body instruments, the Missouri 5/60E and the legendary Framus AZ-10 in its latest version with the wooden pickguard are displayed here. The two Apollo models were apparently meant exclusively for the American market and they are solid body instruments for guitarist and bassists.

This Framus brochure listed two mandolins, two "Wander"-guitars, and six beautiful western guitars intended for the American market. A little unfitting was the 5/51 Studio model, a small archtop that is displayed here in a very rare version with one f-hole.

The upright bass player is the core of any combo: Framus served this important position with first-class instruments, be it classical or with a cutaway. Because Rock&Roll already knocked at the door.

The Framus catalog for the upper American continent was stylistically different than the comparable European publications: Guitars, banjos, mandolins and basses were displayed in the wild, and the good-looking female guitar player on the cover with the big city skyline in the background certainly didn’t come from Oberfranken; she is actually playing a Framus Texan that is called Hummingbird in the catalog. The focus was country & western instruments, with additional lap steel guitars and high-quality copies of the American classics.

The "Fretted Instruments by Framus" catalog presented the export portfolio of the Frankish manufacturer for the United States in the mid sixties, which was mainly an assortment of acoustic guitars and banjos. Also included were beautiful archtops, thin body and solid body guitars, and three electric basses. The Framus products were imported and distributed by Philadelphia Music Co, located in Limerick, PA.

This small, beautifully designed guitar catalog dates back to the mid to late fifties, was circulated in many different languages and displayed the Framus product line for the European market. Available were the archtop classics of the Frankish manufacturer, two premium thinline models like the Hi Fi Six and the Billy Lorento, and also pickups, cases, four different small “suitcase amps”, and a volume pedal were part of the product line for the international market in these early years.

"More modern, more universal, more successful, international. A new resonating electric thinbody series” read the Framus brochure for the models Fret Jet and New Sound. Also included in the brochure were the early Star Bass, two Strat®o models and some archtops.

Catalog Nr. 15 / Part 2 was aimed towards musicians in beat, jazz and dance music. From the acoustic “wander guitars” to simple archtops, noble jazz guitars with pickups, thinline and solid body models - everything was listed here. Also included were the legendary Star bass and other 4-string instruments, as well as Hawaiian guitars, lutes, mandolins, zithers and all the accessories needed by the string instrumentalist including pickups, cables and amplifiers.

The signature model of known guitarist Jan Akkerman from the Dutch band Focus also became an international classic. A perfect design, both in terms of aesthetics and technicalities, made this guitar a now sought-after collectible. The brochure of 1975 also showed the more-than-robust wooden case, which was part of the supplied accessories and like the Akkerman guitar itself - no lightweight.

The Bräuer Classics were top models of the Framus concert guitar line that were manufactured in limited quantities in the mid seventies using the noblest of woods. But also the models Valencia and Ideal offered high quality for young as well as experienced classical interpreters.

Framus built the legendary Peter Kraus guitar for the new German superstar in 1957: A thinline instrument with a small body and only 4 strings. Three different Peter Kraus instruments were available. Rock&Roll was thus arriving in-between Flensburg and Passau.

The numerous banjos in this brochure weren’t meant only for skiffle pop and Dixieland jazz; admittedly the graphic design of the brochure probably appealed less to the country musician than the western guitar advertising booklet also displayed here.

This brochure displays numerous solid body models from the Strat®o series - highly modern, technically sophisticated electric guitars with vibrato, organ effect, and four, six, or nine strings. Also included were the semi-acoustic Tele®vision series and the Strat®o and Star basses.

Framus wanted to target the dance and entertainment artists with this brochure. But very early international jazz musicians were interested in the outstanding archtops made in Germany as well. The top models were generally made from solid woods.

Next to an array of acoustic guitars, mandolins and banjos, as well as instruments and teaching materials for the self-paced music education program, these 16 pages of the early seventies showed a number of simpler Framus electric instruments with their own particular design. These beginner models, now sought-after collectibles, were copies of the American classics. Also included in this catalog were noble Framus originals like the Triumph bass, the Billy Lorento semi-acoustic, the Stereo M8 and a beautiful, newly designed AZ-10.

It created a sensation: A small lever that shifted a spring-loaded pot, which was then gradually blended with the instrument’s sound with no audible attack. This gimmick called organ effect, was available in solid body and thinline models.

Softline-Design instruments were fairly common for some time in the mid sixties. Framus offered thinline models named Atlantic in a couple of variations and completely different body shapes, both as electric guitars and electric basses.  

Music can be a lot of fun-this is already evident in the cover picture of this brochure - even when grabbing this or that chord wasn’t that good yet. Framus communicated the enjoyment of music with its beginner guitar line, which the young instrumentalist picked up right after music education. A elaborated concept.